TOP 5: RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION, First Trailer for LINCOLN, James Cameron Talks AVATAR Sequels/Prequel and His Take on JURASSIC PARK, FINDING NEMO 3D, TIFF 2012

In the spirit of TIFF 2012 winding down this weekend, I’m interested in hearing what some of our readers most anticipated pics coming out of the festival are. For me, I was already psyched for films such as Looper, Cloud Atlas, and The Master, but early buzz has also peaked my interest in The Place Beyond the Pines, End of Watch, Spring Breakers, Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp, Dredd 3D, and At Any Price among others. What about you? Where there films that showed up on your radar while following the festival? What about a film you were looking forward to that you were disappointed didn’t fare quite as well as you had hoped (for me, this was Passion)? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check out this week’s fifth spot for a link that can help you get caught up on all of our TIFF 2012 coverage.

In addition to that fifth spot, also on the docket for this week’s Top 5is a slew of video interviews for Paul W. S. Anderson‘s Resident Evil: Retribution, the first full trailer for Steven Spielberg‘s Lincoln, James Cameron talking the future of Avatarand what his take on Jurassic Parkwould have been like, and Steve’s video interviews with some of the major names behind Finding Nemo 3D. Brief recaps and links to each lie after the jump.

If early box office numbers are any indication, the Resident Evilfranchise is alive and well with the opening of its fifth installment, Resident Evil: Retribution. If you’re suffering from RE fatigue, RE apathy in general, of if you’re saving yourself for Resident Evil 6 to hit video game shelves on October 2nd, you may want to skip ahead to this week’s second entry. Otherwise, you’ll do well to check out Steve’s Retribution video interviews with Paul W. S. Anderson, Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, and Boris Kodjoe.

2. First Trailer for Steven Spielberg’s LINCOLN

This week, cyberspace brought us the first full trailer for Steven Spielberg’s foray into the life and times of the 16th President of the United States, Lincoln. While some may be surprised to find a critically low amount of vampire hunting in Spielberg’s take, the cut succeeds in emphasizing the considerable amount of duress Lincoln sustained throughout his storied presidency and the almost unconscionable weight of the decisions he made while in office.

3. James Cameron Talks AVATAR Sequels/Prequel and JURASSIC PARK

I guess it should probably come as no surprise when James Cameron becomes a topic of discussion on a film site such as our own. That said, Cameron stole much of this week’s conversation in spite of the fact that he doesn’t have a directorial project due out for another 3 years or so. Click here to read about the his announcement that Avatar 4will be a prequel, click here to see what Cameron says he learned from The Matrixfollow-ups about what not to do, and finally click here to learn more about what his vision for Jurassic Parkwas and how it would have been “nastier, much nastier” than Spielberg’s effort.

4. FINDING NEMO 3D Video Interviews with Director Mark Walsh and More

I’ll admit to being no fan of 3D. And yet, if the technology must continue to expand in the cinematic marketplace, my hope is that it will see a majority of its growth in animated films where I think the technology is best utilized and at its most engrossing. This is mind, I recommend the following video interviews to you not as an advocate of 3D re-releases but rather as a fan of Finding Nemo being screened to the public in any way, shape, and/or form. To learn more about the pic and its 3D re-release, check out Steve’s video interviews with co-director Lee Unkrich, Pixar’s stereoscopic supervisor Bob Whitehall and director of 3D production Josh Hollander, and director Mark Walsh.

5. All of Our TIFF 2012 Coverage

Another Toronto International Film Festival has come and gone and while I’m confident we’ll be bringing you coverage and interviews from the festival well into next week, I’ve saved this week’s fifth spot as a resting place for all of our festival coverage to date. Kudos to Steve, Matt, and Phil for a job well done. Even though covering TIFF may not carry with it the negative connotations often associated with the word “job”, it is a ton of work to be sure. Here’s to hoping you, the reader, has found something in our broad coverage that plays to your interests. Until next year…